With game time limited and a new manager inheriting the reins, McNair found himself at a career crossroads in the summer of 2016.

Mourinho was eager for him to remain at Old Trafford, with the option put to the 21-year-old to go out on loan.

McNair was, however, eager to find competitive minutes in a settled environment and made his Portuguese coach aware that only a permanent deal would be considered – with a £5.5 million transfer eventually taking him to Sunderland.

"He wanted me to go on loan and I went in to see Jose and just said 'look, if you don't let me go on a permanent, I'm just going to stay here',” McNair told BBC Sport.

Paddy McNair Manchester United

"That's how strongly I thought about it. At the time, it's what I wanted so I've got no regrets. I think he quite liked how I was straight up. I said I wanted to leave, that I didn't want to go on loan.

"I think he respected that. I told him that I'd been here since I was 12-years-old and club could at least let me do what I want to do.

"I spoke to Ed Woodward and said the same to him. I was refusing to go on loan basically. I just wanted a new challenge and off I went."